When Chelsea visit Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow night, one might expect youth guys like Harvey Vale, Lewis Hall and Xavier Mbuyamba to possibly get in the team. We’ve seen this trio, as well as some other youngsters, get playing time lately as Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has needed to rotate and balance his squad, due to injuries and covid-19 outbreaks.
Up 2-0 from the first leg of their EFL Cup semifinal with Spurs, they can kind of cruise a little but here. A single away goal should be enough to send them through.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea FC EFL Cup Semifinal Leg 2/2 FYIs:
Kick-off time: 7:45 PM GMT, 12th January 2022, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Starting XI Predictions: Chelsea Tottenham
Premier League Podcast: go here
Form Guide (All Competitions): Tottenham (WDWLW) Chelsea (WDDWW)
Head to Head: Chelsea wins 75, Draws 41, Tottenham wins 55
Here’s our best guess at to what the German might do with his first team here. We think he’ll mix it up a bit in philosophy.
Chelsea Starting XI Prediction at Tottenham Hotspur (EFL Cup)
Kepa; Mbuyamba, Silva, Azpilicueta; Hudson-Odoi, Kante, Hall, Pulisic; Vale, Ziyech, Lukaku
Prediction: Tottenham 1, Chelsea 1
A score draw here, and that means the Blues move on to the final on aggregate 3-1.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.